ADULTS 65+ SHOULD CONSIDER THIS VACCINE TO HELP PREVENT AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA

KIRKLAND, QC, Nov. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) concludes that there is good evidence to recommend, on an individual basis, the Prevnar® 13 vaccine followed by Pneumovax® 23 for immunocompetent adults aged 65 years and older not previously immunized against pneumococcal disease for the prevention of community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F.1,2

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization provides the Public Health Agency of Canada with ongoing and timely medical, scientific, and public health advice relating to immunization.

"Immunization with Prevnar® 13 can play an important role in helping to reduce the incidence and burden of vaccine-type pneumococcal pneumonia in adults," says Jelena Vojicic, Vaccines Medical Lead, at Pfizer Canada. "This recommendation further supports the importance of Prevnar® 13 for this high risk population."

Burden of Pneumonia in Canada

Pneumococcal pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization and can pose a serious health risk particularly to older adults and those who are vulnerable to this infection3,4,5

Elderly individuals with pneumococcal pneumonia have a longer length of hospitalization and higher case-fatality rates than younger groups6

If pneumonia is severe, the average cost of a 13-day hospital stay is approximately $23,0007

72 per cent of adult patients who survive pneumonia will be re-hospitalized within three to five years8

About Prevnar® 13Prevnar® 13 was first introduced for use in infants and young children in December 2009 in Europe and is now approved for such use in more than 120 countries worldwide, including Canada. It is the most widely used pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the world, and more than 750 million doses of Prevnar® 7-valent/Prevnar® 13 have been distributed worldwide. In addition, Prevnar® 13 is approved for use in adults in more than 100 countries, and is also approved in Canada, the US, European Union and other countries, for use in older children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years. To learn more about Prevnar® 13, visit prevnar.ca.

About Pfizer Canada Inc.Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc., one of the world's leading biopharmaceutical companies. Our diversified health care portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most prescribed medicines and vaccines. Historically, Pfizer Inc. has invested more than US$7 billion toward developing safe and effective medicines. At Pfizer, we're working together for a healthier world. To learn more about Pfizer Canada, visit pfizer.ca or you can follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/PfizerCA) or Facebook (facebook.com/PfizerCanada).